Chapter 178 Let us forever follow the strong and become our kind...
"Is that so? Then feel free to try." Chong Jue formed a hand seal with two fingers, and the heavy sword transformed into ten thousand swords, falling densely like a torrential rain.
The tower collapsed, the ground cracked, the Vajra Formation crumbled and disintegrated, and Ji Mingran was instantly teleported a thousand miles away, retreating from the range of the sword rain.
“You speak so formally, you’ve really integrated very well, you’re no different from the ‘locals’.” Ji Mingran glanced coldly at the mutant wearing the Chongjue human skin. “Well, that makes sense, after all, it’s been more than two hundred years.”
The next second, she slammed into Chongjue like a cannonball. With the Vajra Formation reinforcing her, Chongjue was hit hard and suddenly flew backward.
Then, a flash of sword light appeared in the corner of his eye, and a sharp sword intent pierced through!
The formation flashed, and Ji Mingran disappeared from the spot.
"Your tricks are nothing more than one or two." Chong Jue had already steadied his retreating body, looked around, and did not find any trace of Ji Mingran.
The sword, having missed its target, flew back to its feet, and Chongjue flew into the air on it.
Inside the wooden die, Ji Mingran's array technique broke free from the restrictions of the Treasure Pavilion and himself; she was able to evade his attacks entirely because of this.
Chong Jue moved with lightning speed, searching for Ji Mingran's whereabouts in circles. His smile widened: "Teleportation, protection, you rat's tricks are so sophisticated. You're completely different from when you were young."
"Where did that arrogant person from back then go?" Chongjue murmured excitedly.
"Where are the people who slaughtered us so wantonly back then?" The throbbing scalp split open, revealing grotesque, writhing flesh and blood.
The skin cracked open, and the twitching eyeballs gleamed with a crazed light: "Where is the person who killed us with a single blow back then?"
The flying figure suddenly stopped, and the mutated creature hoarsely shouted, "Ji Mingran, you've finally met your match!"
Draw your sword and strike!
The invisible array of forces, which had been crisscrossing and rapidly expanding, suddenly broke apart, and Ji Mingran's figure fell from the void.
The mutated creature lunged forward: "Those who were arrogant and wantonly slaughtered us back then have finally met their end!"
The charred flesh turned into a long chain, twisting and pulling, almost in front of him. Ji Mingran's ten fingers flew, leaving afterimages.
However, a huge sword shadow appeared from the sky and stabbed straight down at the figure in mid-air!
A torrent of sword intent surged forth, instantly engulfing her.
The body is unable to move.
The mutated voice was right next to my ear, a hoarse chuckle: "Your body is mine, become one of us."
Ji Mingran turned his head, met those gleaming eyes, and uttered two words: "No. Get out."
In an instant, the light intensified, and the mutated creature immediately grabbed him: "Where do you think you can escape to!"
As expected, the wriggling hand landed squarely on Ji Mingran's shoulder.
The mutant was taken aback. It had actually grabbed her?
However, the eyeballs were instantly enveloped by the scorching light.
It wasn't Ji Mingran who was enveloped in light, but the light itself.
The mutated creature realized something and immediately spurred its sword away. However, it was too late!
The teleportation array opened for ten miles, and in the blink of an eye, the mutated creature's body was thrown into a magnificent array filled with intertwined purple and black hues.
It immediately tried to escape, but its body remained motionless.
The mutant was shocked and immediately withdrew from the body.
He couldn't move at all!
What is frozen is not its body, but its soul, that is, its essence!
Chongjue's human skin lay coiled on the ground like shed clothes, resembling a charred, indistinct mass of flesh twisted and contorted by countless maggots, yet it could not move an inch from its spot.
Layer upon layer of intertwined purple and black array patterns, Ji Mingran strolled to the outside of the array: "Using teleportation arrays to lure people into a trap is a trick that never fails. You've seen it, and you fell for it too, didn't you?"
A brilliant purple-gold light shone brightly, encircling the heavy jade and outlining intricate array patterns around it.
"The Soul-Binding Array is surprisingly effective against parasitic mutants like you," Ji Mingran explained patiently.
Another formation activated. Domain Blessing Formation.
"Oh, and there's also the Demon-Subduing Array. Since the Soul-Binding Array worked on you, then the Demon-Subduing Array should be able to completely annihilate you, so you won't be able to abandon your bodies and escape." Ji Mingran chanted the array incantation, his hands forming hand seals, and condensed a new array.
With the support of the domain array, the Soul Binding Array further welded the mutated creature's body to its original spot, and the Demon Subduing Array quickly took shape, completely enveloping the Mahayana cultivator trapped within it.
Upon hearing her voice, the wildly writhing mass of flesh quickly burrowed into her skin. Standing inside the formation was a mutated creature resembling Chong Jue. He suppressed his irritation and anger, staring at her: "I am a Mahayana Realm cultivator. Do you really think a mere formation can trap me?"
A dazzling sword light erupted with a thunderous roar.
The purple-gold arc-shaped array pattern covering Chongjue was cracked, showing signs of breaking apart.
Ji Mingran remained expressionless and continued to perform the hand seals.
As the sword light dissipated, the purple-gold circular array returned to its original state. Moreover, an even more robust array appeared layer upon layer.
Chongjue's eyes widened in surprise, and he raised his sword to strike again.
The sword shadows danced wildly, crashing powerfully against the formation.
However, despite his best efforts, Chongjue was unable to take a single step. In fact, he felt his power rapidly draining away, and his body became increasingly heavy and drowsy. If he had not resided in the body for over two hundred years, he would have been unable to support the skeleton and human skin.
"No, impossible..." the mutated creature murmured from Chongjue's body.
Ji Mingran said in a good-natured tone, "For cultivators, the body is the foundation, and the soul is the root. Your primordial soul, that is, your physical body, is far inferior to mine, and you cannot defeat me."
Nourishing the spiritual body, expanding the spiritual veins, stabilizing the mind, and extending the sea of consciousness—all the cultivation practices of a cultivator are ultimately aimed at shaping the soul and matching it with a body capable of containing it.
She had come from the apocalypse and entered a young body. The powerful soul was incompatible with the weak body, which made her initial cultivation extremely difficult.
As her body grew stronger, it gradually merged with her primordial spirit, and the two became compatible. The sea of consciousness contained within her primordial spirit was finally able to be used by her, and her cultivation speed increased rapidly.
As long as her body can withstand it, she can even use Dao techniques beyond her level repeatedly, unleashing power that is compatible with her Yuan Soul.
The mutated creature before them was also mismatched in its physical form and body, but unlike her, its soul was too ordinary, while its cultivator body was too powerful.
Even if it takes over the body of a Mahayana cultivator, it cannot unleash the full power of the Mahayana realm.
It is wary of Boss Jiang, who has only recently returned from the small world, and this is one of the reasons.
"Impossible! For the past two hundred years, I've poured all my energy into refining my physical body." Chong Jue's flesh writhed and rippled like waves. "How could I possibly be inferior to you!"
“That’s the truth. Two hundred years have passed, and you’re still no match for me.” Ji Mingran quickened the pace of his hand seals. “So now, all you can do is die.”
Even more frenzied sword strikes were launched at the formation. Ji Mingran couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he kindly reminded him, "It's no use. The moment you entered the dice, you were already in the formation. The formation trapping you isn't just in front of you; it's all over this space and inside this dice. I was just dodging around to wait for the formation to activate. There are too many formations; it will take some time."
Ji Mingran raised his finger.
Inside the tranquil tower and boundless space, the calm and still exterior of the entire magical artifact was partially revealed, exposing the vast array power hidden within.
Chong Jue slowly stopped, as if he had been completely convinced by Ji Mingran. He had completely lost the power to resist and slid to the ground: "Impressive, you really are impressive."
It sighed, "Ji Mingran, you have always been one of the strongest among us."
"Us?" Ji Mingran got goosebumps from the way she was addressed. "Who's 'us' with you?"
“We were once unable to communicate with you.” Chongjue paused for a moment, then said, “Even after coexisting for so many years, we never had a conversation with you.”
Ji Mingran recalled his past experiences of chasing and killing countless mutants in the apocalypse and denied it, saying, "That's not called coexistence, it's purely escape, or rather, a life-or-death battle."
“No, you don’t know.” Chong Jue’s face slowly twitched, and his eyes bulged out as he stared at her. “We came here, integrated into the spiritual cultivation world, and learned your language. Now, we can communicate with you.”
Ji Mingran scoffed: "The so-called exchange is because I subdued you." That sounds nice, but if this mutant hadn't realized that she had completely crushed it, it wouldn't have been able to engage in such a peaceful "exchange."
Peace talks have always been initiated by the weak against the strong.
After all, it was only at the Mahayana Realm; it would take time to destroy it. Ji Mingran's hands didn't stop; he kept forming hand seals to accelerate the exorcising formation.
Chongjue, however, showed none of the panic, confusion, or rage he had shown earlier.
He looked serious, as if explaining to those who had misunderstood him: "We are simply seeking a place to rest, looking for a new home. The apocalypse we encountered was not suitable, so we came here."
Ji Mingran: "You are plundering, not searching."
Chongjue said, "We also want to coexist with you, but that place is destined to perish."
Ji Mingran continued casting spells, and new formations were constantly being created. "The humans who originally lived on that planet never intended to coexist with you. You are an outsider minority, an alien species, and should be eliminated."
"Just because we are not human, does that mean we cannot have a home? We have been living a spiritual life for over two hundred years, and we can coexist with humans. In the end times, you are the one who is different."
Chongjue continued, “We have been in the spiritual cultivation world for over two hundred years, and our numbers have exceeded your imagination. Other members of our kind will also arrive later. The spiritual cultivation world is destined to become our new home. Humans are the minority, the outcasts. According to your logic, they should be eliminated.”
Ji Mingran drew spiritual energy from the wooden dice to replenish the array's power: "You've learned to speak human language, but you can't speak human language."
She sensed the changes in the array's power and silently counted the time. Soon, she could condense a powerful enough array to kill it.
But then the mutated creature said, "However, if it's you..."
Noticing the change in the mutated creature's tone, Ji Mingran frowned and looked up.
The eyeball embedded in the writhing mass of flesh stared at her silently and said, "If it is you, we will accept you. We hope you can become one of us."
The mutant is extending an olive branch to her?
Without hesitation, Ji Mingran replied, "I have my own kind." Besides, she had killed countless mutants, making them her mortal enemies.
"You saw it too, didn't you?" The mutant, anticipating her reaction, calmly said, "I only said a few simple words, and they doubted you, ridiculed you, attacked you, and changed their stance without hesitation. In their eyes, you are an outsider, you are one of us."
How dare it bring this up again? Ji Mingran accused, "I remember, you were the one who jumped the most enthusiastically, weren't you?" She remembered that Chong Jue had been targeting Dingsheng Sect and her at every turn.
“That’s ‘Chongjue’. I did this for the Spirit Stone, and also so that you can see reality.” The mutated creature sighed, its human skin peeling off piece by piece, revealing the maggots underneath, and it showed its true face again.
“Ji Mingran, you may not know, but your name is being passed down by word of mouth among your kind in this apocalypse. We all know you, we have all heard of you, and our eyes have always followed you.”
"We will always admire the strong, even if you kill us a thousand or ten thousand times. If you are willing, we are willing to accept you as one of us."
Human skin once again covered the maggot-infested flesh, and the mutant became human-like again.
"If you wish, we can also transform into forms that you can accept."
"A new home has been built. Join us and become one of us." The mutated creature's tone was more sincere than ever before.
......
Ji Mingran froze for a moment.
These words sounded utterly absurd, yet Ji Mingran inexplicably sensed that these utterly ridiculous words came from the heart.
So she replied with the same sincerity: "Go to hell."
Formation complete!
The giant hand formed from maggot flesh burst into flames and slammed down with all its might onto the floating array patterns.
The flowing force of the formation has stopped.
The raging flames and strong winds howled and crashed down once more.
Just as Ji Mingran was about to summon another layer of domain blessing array, a sound of air being torn apart came from behind.
An ivory-colored longsword whizzed past his face, piercing into the raised palm of the mutated creature, Chongjue. The blade was powerful and forceful, violently flipping the giant hand, causing the mutated creature to fall backward and crash to the ground.
The longsword plunged into the ground, pinning the maggot-like hand firmly to the earth.
Chongjue, or rather the mutated creature, screamed in pain, its eyes bulging as it glared at the attacker, muttering, "It's you, it's you..."
The impenetrable Vajra Formation completely protected him from behind. Ji Mingran did not turn around. He flipped his cane and dagger into his hand, blade facing down, and sliced through Chong Jue's head as easily as cutting tofu.
Chongjue stared at her blankly with his bulging eyes.
The dagger, which was tightly gripped between his fingers, suddenly lengthened and pierced straight through Chongjue's belly.
The overflowing powerful array force formed streams of air that rose up around the people in the array. Ji Mingran's robes fluttered wildly, and a purplish-black baleful aura instantly enveloped the people in the array.
The malevolent energy swirled and formed a blackish-gray tornado that was both misty and tangible. Books, magical artifacts, and treasures in the pavilion, along with their shelves, were overturned and scattered all over the ground. Then, the entire suspended tower's floor and wooden walls were lifted up piece by piece and scattered everywhere, leaving only the wooden frame of the pavilion teetering precariously in the boundless darkness.
The array's power seeped into the skull through the cracks, devouring the already solidified maggot-like soul.
The mass of flesh twitched and changed violently, emitting a desperate and aggrieved sound: "Why, why..."
Meeting those dying, desperate eyes once more, Ji Mingran said softly, "Those who are not of my kind deserve to die."
Even if I am the only one left, I will never be the same as you.
Accompanied by piercing screams and wails, the rising tornado dissipated, leaving only withered human skin lying on the ground amidst the devastated ruins.
The darkness within the space dissipated into specks of light, like stars in the night. Gradually, the light fell upon the scattered broken planks, dust, and mud paint that rose from the ground, as if connected by starlight, quickly swirling and returning to their original places, fitting into every corner where they had been. The scattered books, magical artifacts, and treasures also returned to their original positions.
In an instant, the entire nine-story suspended tower was restored to its original state, standing silently in place.
Ji Mingran sheathed her sword and turned around, only to see the person who had suddenly appeared to help her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com